On 30 March, a military skirmish was reported in the northern Armenian province of Tavush bordering the Gazakh district in western Azerbaijan. 

According to the Armenian Ministry of Defense (MOD) Azerbaijani troops undertook an attempt to penetrate the Armenian positions in the city of Noyemberyan. “The Armenian side had no casualties; two soldiers were slightly wounded. The enemy targeted villages of Baganis and Voskevan, and as a result, a child living in the Voskevan community, who at the time of the shelling was on the balcony,“ wrote the spokesperson of the Armenian MOD Shushan Stepanyan.

“This unprovoked ceasefire violation has no justification, especially today, when all countries of the world mobilize their medical resources in the fight against COVID19. By such actions, Azerbaijan disregards the calls of the international community, particularly the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the UN Secretary General to strictly adhere to the ceasefire and refrain from provocative actions during this period. This military incident demonstrates that either the Azerbaijani side has no control over the actions of its military units on the border or deliberately escalates the situation, thus bearing full responsibility for its consequences,” read the statement from Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Azerbaijan’s State Border Guard Service denied opening fire on the Armenian villages and said it was the Armenian side that fired at an Azerbaijani border village. “Using large-caliber weapons, Armenian armed forces near the villages of Boganis and Voskevan of Armenia’s Noyemberyan region started intensively shelling the residential houses and vehicles for transporting citizens [of the] Gushchu Ayrim village [in the] Gazakh region. The provocation of the advisory side was suppressed, and the combat positions of the Armenian armed forces, which opened fire on settlements and civilian vehicles, were thwarted by return fire,” read the statement.

It is noteworthy to mention that Armenian and Azerbaijani border guards have already suffered casualties in the same area earlier this year (Caucasus Watch reported).